Ever been offered a job with a company you thought had a great reputation, was well respected, and for which you’d be proud to work? And you accepted the offer and began working - only to say to yourself a few weeks later, "Hey, wait a minute. This isn’t what I want! This company has some problems!"? But it’s only been a few weeks, so you stick around. Two months later, not only are your feelings the same, they've intensified.

But you think quitting so soon may be a rash move. How would you explain it on your resume? Since you just started and you don’t want to go through the find-a-job process again so soon, you passively stuff the feelings inside saying, "It's a paycheck."

Very soon, you hate your job, you’re not proud to be associated with the company, and you’re troubled by what you’ve learned since you began working there. What went wrong? Clearly, it’s not your perfect job. You thought it was a reputable company, and it’s not. But part of finding your perfect job not only means knowing you want a reputable company, it means knowing what your definition of a reputable company is.

“Reputable firm” is a phrase that, as a recruiter, I heard constantly. When I asked what it meant, I heard, "A good company. One I'd enjoy working for." Hmmmm. Not exactly a clear definition.

So what constitutes a reputable company?

We can all agree that Arthur Anderson and Enron were disreputable companies! But what about Disney? It strives to be reputable and many consider it so. But many of its films don't do so well, there has been much divisiveness in its upper ranks, and it supports some causes many think it shouldn't ... yet it’s ... well ... Disney.

Reputable ... or not?

As recently as 2006 Fannie Mae was fined $400 million, not only for allegedly manipulating its accounting, but also for lying to investors. Yet, in 2001, for the second time, and then in 2003 and 2006 – the same year it was fined $400 million, it was ranked in the top 100 companies by Working Mother magazine because of its child care programs, flexibility in working arrangements, and advancement for women.

Reputable ... or not?

Now consider the companies that aren't newsmakers and thus have policies or principles that people would never know about unless (or until) they work there.

See why it's important to be specific?

If you’re in sales, you might very well be impressed with a company’s monthly sales numbers. That means people want their products, so it’s a reputable company, right? But if you don’t know that your definition of reputable means a company that sells its products with integrity and builds relationships with its customers, those numbers that seem “reputable” could turn out to be slamming sales, not backing up its products, and very little repeat business. And you wouldn’t find that out until it's too late.

Defining the phrase helps you to know what to look for and what questions to ask on the interview, and the answers help you make a decision. And when you specifically state your philosophy it puts everything right out there. So if the company is doing anything different, the interviewer will hear what you’re saying and won't ask you back. The company that parallels your view will.

But isn’t working for a reputable company an obvious desire? Would anyone want a disreputable company? Well ... yes!

Some people like troubled companies and turnarounds—and those that do, know it and say so. Those who haven't given much thought to the issue tend to utter the reputable company phrase, fail to ask the necessary questions and sometimes find themselves working for a company that leaves them queasy.

So if the company or department is struggling to get its feet on the ground and progress, but this doesn't turn you on, speak up. Both parties will be happier parting ways earlier rather than later.

The overall theme of finding your perfect job is staying in control so that you are asked back and can decide if you want to return or not. But that outcome and the resulting choice presumes you've stated clearly the opportunity you're seeking and that that's what the company is.

If the company isn’t that, you might not be asked back, and you may never know why. But stating your definition instead of using a generic phrase is—stay with me here—what gave you control of the outcome, even when it appears that you lost control.

Whether you know this at the time or not is irrelevant. You're focusing on what you want based on what you’ve defined as important. And that’s part of finding your perfect job.